PDA

View Full Version : Good Morning...WTF?!



Okla-homey
12/4/2006, 06:57 AM
Dec. 4, 1872: The mystery of the Mary Celeste

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/8737/pppppppppppppppmarycelenp4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

124 years ago on this day in 1872, the Dei Gratia, a small British brig under Captain David Morehouse, spots Mary Celeste, an American vessel, sailing erratically but at full sail near the Azores Islands (west of Spain) in the Atlantic Ocean. Mary Celeste was boarded, found seaworthy, its stores and supplies were untouched, but not a soul was onboard!:eek:

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/2770/ppppppppppppppppppppppofw7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Captain Morehouse, skipper of Dei Gratia.

http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/3860/pppppppppppppppppppshipzj0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
British brig Dei Gratia

On November 7, the brigantine Mary Celeste sailed from New York harbor for Genoa, Italy, carrying Captain Benjamin S. Briggs, his wife and two-year-old daughter, a crew of eight, and a cargo of some 1,700 barrels of grain alcohol.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/3220/ppppppppppppppppppppppsmv9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Mary Celeste, the ghostship was discovered on this day in 1872

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/5350/pppppppppppppppppppppppcu9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Captain Benjamin Briggs. He, his wife, child and the entire crew were never found.

After Dei Gratia sighted the vessel on December 4, Captain Morehouse and his men boarded the ship to find it abandoned, with its sails slightly damaged, several feet of water in the hold, and the lifeboat and navigational instruments missing. However, the ship was in good order, the cargo intact, and reserves of food and water remained on board.

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/160/pppppppppppppppppderrotsg5.gif (http://imageshack.us)
Position amid the Azores (off the western coast of Spain) where Mary Celeste was spotted. Her positions in days prior to her sighting, as indicated in the vessel's navigational log, are illustrated on this map.

The last entry in the captain's log shows that Mary Celeste had been nine days and 500 miles away from where the ship was found by Dei Gratia. Apparently, Mary Celeste had been drifting toward Genoa on her intended course for 11 days with no one at the wheel to guide her.

Captain Briggs, his family, and the crew of the vessel were never found, and the reason for the abandonment of Mary Celeste has never been determined.:eek: :eek: :eek:

http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/6238/insane7zocn2.jpg

Jerk
12/4/2006, 07:06 AM
What are some of the theories for this?

Okla-homey
12/4/2006, 07:12 AM
What are some of the theories for this?

There have been several books written on it, but I haven't read any of them. My money's on "captured by space aliens."

Seriously, an alcohol-fueled mutiny could have done it. As you can see, she was found close to a semi-tropical, populated island...but the ships boats were all aboard, so how did the crew split, even of they did make the captain and his family walk the plank?

Its an eternal mystery of the sea.

TUSooner
12/4/2006, 02:07 PM
very bizarre

OUDoc
12/4/2006, 02:15 PM
I think it's clear, the Brits did it. ;)

KaiserSooner
12/4/2006, 03:34 PM
So the 1700 barrels of grain alcohol were still there?

Guess that kills the possibility of piracy.

KaiserSooner
12/4/2006, 03:35 PM
Wait...were there pirates in 1872?

StoopTroup
12/4/2006, 10:26 PM
If you found a ship full of alcohol in an exotic foriegn area of the world....

Would your report possibly have some missing details? :D

Okla-homey
12/4/2006, 11:02 PM
If you found a ship full of alcohol in an exotic foriegn area of the world....

Would your report possibly have some missing details? :D

precisely. "we found a bajillion gallons of "Everclear!" No sign of the crew. Ergo, we are the proud owners of said alcy-hol.:D

Harry Beanbag
12/5/2006, 07:09 AM
Actually, I just saw a show about this a few days ago. They suggested that the Dei Gratia were pirates and killed everybody on board. Another theory was the fumes from the alcohol drove all hands to a small boat which they tied to the ship and trailed behind, but since they left all the sails up they weren't able to keep up with the ship. That would have sucked.